I was raised to believe Abortion was wrong. There were always other options. My best friend, Kimberly, had a sister who used abortion as a form of birth control; we were aware of three before graduation. If she had only known her choices, she might have saved innocent lives.

In 1994 a friend of mine found herself in an unwanted pregnancy. She had only one year of college left; she knew she couldn't disappoint her parents by going to them with the dilemma. She felt her only option was abortion. I remember having very long, in depth conversations with her, trying to persuade her against the abortion. I also told her I was there for her no matter what her decision would be. Going through this experience with my friend is what brought me to argue pro-life.

The biblical argument against abortion is a little tricky. The Bible doesn't say anything about abortion directly; I believe that is because during that time abortion was an unthinkable act. First, children are viewed as a gift or heritage from the Lord. Secondly, the scriptures state that God opens and closes the womb and is sovereign over conception. Third, childlessness was seen as a curse.

Exodus 21:22-25 states " If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. "

This verse teaches us that if a woman gives birth prematurely, but the baby is not injured, then only a fine is appropriate. However, if the child dies then the law of retaliation should be applied. In other words, killing an unborn baby would carry the same penalty as killing a born baby. A baby inside the womb has the same legal status as a baby outside the womb.

If you don't believe in the bible there is also the medical argument. One argument is the definition of life and death. One set of criteria, which defines death, could also be used to define life. Death used to be defined by the cessation (stopping) of the heartbeat. A stopped heart was a clear sign of death. If the cessation of heartbeat could define death, could the onset of the heartbeat define life? The heart is formed by the 18th day in the womb. If heartbeat were used to define life, then nearly all abortions would be outlawed.

Physicians now use a more rigorous criterion for death: brain wave activity. A flat EFG (electroencephalograph) is one of the most important criteria used to determine death. If the cessation of brain wave activity can define death, could the onset of brain wave activity define life? Individual brain waves are detected in the fetus in about 40-43 days. Using brain wave activity to define life would outlaw at least a majority of abortions.

Medical science leads to a pro-life perspective rather than a pro-choice perspective. If medical science can be used at all to draw a line, the clearest line is at the moment of conception. Medical arguments provide a strong case against abortion and for life.

The way to prevent abortion is NOT to make it illegal. That won't work. It never has. Whenever governments have made abortions illegal, they have not stopped them. Throughout the centuries, when women have felt abortion to be their only option, they have had them, whether they were legal or not. In the two decades before abortion was legal in the United States, nearly one million women went "underground" each year for illegal operations. Thousands died for lack of medical care. Tens of thousands were maimed. All were forced to behave as if they were criminals in order to do what they felt was right for themselves.

Regardless of where we stand on the abortion issue, most of us would like to see the need for abortion reduced. This will only come as...

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On one hand, from a religious perspective, abortion can be seen as a sin and it is possible to argue that it should be illegal. Many Christians argue that abortion is murder, because life begins at conception, and having an abortion is killing an unborn human. Those who believe this usually believe that it is never acceptable to procure an abortion, and the Roman Catholic church will excommunicate anyone who does. Some less extreme Christians, like the Church of England, accept that an abortion may have to be allowed under exceptional circumstances, for example if a woman has been raped, if the baby is a result of incest, or if the mother's life is in danger, an abortion may be allowed. It is also...

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There are several different arguments in relation to when a fetus can and should be considered a human being. The question of when life begins is never more profound than when it becomes relevant to this issue of abortion. From a pro-choice point of view, the status of a fetus is a matter of individual opinion. In retrospect, we must understand that regardless of whether a fetus is human or has rights, women will haveabortions anyway, even if it means breaking the law or risking their lives. The Catholic Church opposes and condemns any and all direct abortions even those resulting from rape, incest, and...

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An estimated 44 million abortions are performed globally each year, with slightly under half of those performed unsafely.[5] The number of abortion has stabilized in recent years,[5] having previously spent decades declining as access to family planning education and contraceptive services increased.[6] Forty percent of the world's women have access to legal induced abortions (within gestational limits).[7]
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